John Cena announced his retirement tour last year, and his 2025...well, it's certainly been interesting. He came close to winning the Royal Rumble, turned heel at Elimination Chamber, and defeated Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania to become Undisputed WWE Champion.
Cena has since faced Randy Orton and R-Truth, but most fans appear to be in agreement that the heel "Last Real Champion" isn't quite clicking and that his matches aren't great.
Cena isn't doing much in the way of heavy lifting in those, though being a heel does go some way in facilitating that. In a sit-down conversation with Stephanie McMahon on her show Stephanie's Places, the Leader of the Cenation acknowledged that he's not at his best physically.
The 48-year-old hasn't wrestled on a regular basis for years and told Stephanie that he realised his body was "beat up" when he couldn't lift over 300lbs during various weight exercises.
"I can’t even do these lifts anymore because my body’s so beat up. So, as soon as I got through that jagged pill of like, 'Oh man, I’m never gonna overhead press 375 pounds ever again. But let’s work to see what best I can for today is,'" Cena explained. "You know, it’s a very similar course to WWE."
"My skills are on the regress," he admitted. "If I continue at a full-time physical capability or involvement, I'm not gonna run right, my partner's not gonna run right, and our relationship's not gonna run right. Sorry kid, it's time to close this chapter. I wish I was 18, I wish I felt great because I don't feel more at home—besides in the arms of my wife—than I do on a canvas."
"I had pitched this idea, a real wrestling farewell, and hoping that they would see the business of it," Cena said of his ongoing retirement tour.
It's good that the 17-time WWE Champion knows that now is the right time to step away from in-ring action, though we still don't know what the rest of this year has in store for him. He surely has to drop the WWE title at some stage, while fans remain eager for a match with CM Punk.
We have to believe a babyface turn is also planned, as it's hard to imagine Cena ending his career as a heel who "hates" the fans.
You can watch a clip from the interview below.